Pat’s Product Review: Kershaw and Zero Tolerance Knives

I don’t recall when I first started carrying a pocket knife, but I’m pretty sure it was back in the 3rd or 4th grade. And, yes, back in those days, a kid could carry a pocket knife to school – and the police weren’t called, nor were you suspended. Almost everyone carried a pocket knife back then – my how the times have changed. These days, most schools have a zero tolerance for any sort of “weapon” on school grounds – heck, some kids have been suspended or expelled from school for simply drawing a picture of a knife or a gun. …


Letter Re: Prospects for the Eastern U.S. in a Societal Collapse

Mr. Rawles, Can you provide more detailed information on what you believe will happen East of the Mississippi River in and around major population centers in the event of a collapse.  You briefly addressed this when you were interviewed by Michael Ruppert in his Collapsenet podcast program last year.  Most of the population simply can’t relocate to the Western mountain states much less realistically get out of debt.  As I believe it was stated on your web site some years ago it will be a “Come as you are collapse” and that is what we all will get.  I’m perhaps …


Letter Re: Evacuating Quickly to Escape Wildfires

James, There is much conversation about the desirability of moving to a rural retreat location.  Much has been written on your site about moving to moving to the American Redoubt.  But how many people really consider the drastic changes in their lifestyle when moving out of the city to a rural location?  Consider one drastic change:  fire protection.  People living in cities with asphalt streets, fire hydrants, professionally staffed fire stations, and minimal response times may not understand the change to living in a rural area with fire protection offered by volunteer departments.  I have lived in rural areas for …


Recipe of the Week:

Notutopia’s Creamy Mushroom Soup From Storage Foods 1-1/2 cups dried mushrooms 2 cups hot beef bouillon, make it from powdered or cubed bouillon 4 cups milk, made from powdered milk 6 tbsp. flour, all purpose 1/2 cup dried onions 1/4 cup margarine, or powdered butter 1 tsp. kosher salt Parsley flakes for garnish Directions: Sauté mushrooms and onions in margarine in a heavy saucepan for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine bouillon, milk, salt, and flour. Blend until smooth. Add to sautéed mushrooms and onions. Cook over low heat until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Garnish with parsley. …


Economics and Investing:

Debasement and Debt Monetization are the last refuges of modern-day profligate spending governments: Geithner sees cash in coins’ metal. I’ve been warning about the composition change in nickels for three years. I hope that you have been methodically building your stack during this time. Once he composition changes, you will have to start sorting nickels. But for now, you can stack ammo cans or boxes full of rolls, painlessly. New in the Nerd World: Societal collapse as a marketing angle. (Thanks to PNG for the link.) Who Are the Nation’s Biggest Suckers? Lottery Players. (As the Late Memsahib was fond …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I’ve recently had two consulting clients in the southeastern U.S. who’ve each lost thousands of dollars worth of canned freeze-dried and dehydrated foods to rusted-through cans, after three years and five years of storage, respectively, of unattended storage. You can spare yourself the same heartbreak by using moisture-resistant can repacking kits from RepackBox.com. These cleverly-designed re-packing box kits are designed to tremendously extend the shelf life of storage food in sealed #10 steel cans. (The kits come complete with plastic bags, silica gel desiccant packets, cable ties, cardboard boxes, and even a marker and packing tape. And since each box …



SurvivalBlog Writing Contest – Round 39 Winners and New Prize Announcements for Round 40

We’ve chosen the winners for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. But first, I’d like to mention several new prizes that will be awarded starting with Round 40: A new prize will be added to the First Prize package: a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear. You may remember seeing them mentioned in SurvivalBlog as suppliers of a variety of U.S. military surplus gear, including full military specification ALICE packs, at great prices. Three new prizes will be added to to the Third Prize package: These include: a large handmade clothes …


Letter Re: A Practical Utilitarian’s Take on Firearms and Calibers

James, its time for like minded  people  to take off the blinders and use logic and intelligence in their planning. Firearms will play a major  part in survival of our people and nation. This role will be larger than anyone cares to  admit. Because of this reliance, our weapons will need to be the most dependable guns we can acquire.   My experience goes through 30+ years of gunsmithing, military service during the Reagan years, and contractor with a notorious private security firm in Iraq and Afghanistan. During these years, I have learned a lot about the serviceability of weapons …


Letter Re: Interim Retreat Caches

Jim: In How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It, you missed mentioning one of the great uses of “bypassed areas” — that of an en route cache.  There is no question but that it would be plain stupid for any family to wait to leave the big cities and urban areas until the very last moment when TSHTF, urban riots have broken out, and the freeways have become one big parking lot full of shooting and looting.  But many families will want to hang on in the cities as long as possible because of employment, family …


Economics and Investing:

10 Reasons Why the Reign of the U.S. Dollar as the World Reserve Currency is About to End Is Inflation, a Stagnant Economy, and Lower Standard of Living in Our Future? Lee M. sent this: Student Loans on Rise — for Kindergarten After the riots, Spain swings the axe on spending. (Thanks to Pierre M. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Recovery?  Housing Says It’s A Hoax Security Breach Hits US Card Processors, Banks A Cashless Society May Be Closer Than Most People Would Even Dare To Imagine Providence, Rhode Island Bankruptcy Seen As Unavoidable On Budget Gap


Odds ‘n Sods:

WorldNetDaily reports: War on U.S. Homeschoolers Escalates    o o o For those interested in South Sudan, see the documentary The Eyes and Ears of God. (Warning: This includes some scene of Sudanese atrocities.) Efforts to help arm and train the villagers of South Sudan against the depredations of the Janjaweed and the Khartoum government are still in their early stages. Please pray for South Sudan, an specifically that President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s government will open the door to trainers from the United States.    o o o More about Britain’s he “self-inflicted” gas shortage: Ministers under pressure to bring …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the …


Note from JWR:

Today we present the last two entries for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com …


The Extreme Solar Still Concept, by Jim B.

The solar still is the most written about yet least used survival technique there is. I would like to help change that, with some actual testing and practical knowledge, back to something you can really use for survival. If you ask almost anyone that has read a book on survival, or taken a summer wilderness class, how they would acquire water in a desert environment, without hesitation they would say: “I would just build a solar still.” There is nothing wrong with that; it is one way to attain at least some water. The solar still is the stock answer, …